Wooden knock-down door buck construction



Aug. 29, 1967 s. SKLAR WOODEN KNOCK-DOWN DOOR BUCK CONSTRUCTION Filed May 25, 1965 INVENTOR 54MUE4 5/0. 4? BY amt/5m United States Patent 3,338,008 WOODEN KNOCK-DOWN DOOR BUCK CONSTRUCTION Samuel Sklar, 63153 Alder-ton St., Rego Park, NY. 11374 Filed May 25, 1965, Ser. No. 458,618 3 Claims. (Cl. 52211) This invention relates to door frames, bucks and the like and more particularly is directed to wooden door bucks preformed for shipping in knock-down condition and for easy installation.

Among the objects of the invention is to generally improve wooden door buck construction of the character described which shall comprise three preformed pieces, namely, two jambs and a head piece, permitting low cost quantity production and requiring a minimum of shipping space, which jambs shall each comprise a wooden jamb board or member and two wooden trim strips, one attached to each opposite edge of the jamb member and secured thereto against relative movement in the plane of the trim strip by spaced metal clips, which construction shall facilitate installation and proper vertical alignment of the jambs at a minimum of on-the-job labor costs, which jambs shall be secured in the doorway by a mitered reinforced joint to the head piece and by fastening means extending through a border portion of the trim strips, which jamb construction and manner of installation shall more evenly distribute the stress and strain created by a door hinged to the jamb member to effectively reduce undesirable shifting and warping of the latter and shall eliminate the use of undesirable shims permitting the jambs to be plumbed and secured to the stud along the exterior trim with the door in position as a guide, which shall be rugged in construction, eflicient and practical to a high degree in use.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists of features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter disclosed, the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims following.

In the accompanying drawing in which an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a wall having a doorway formed therein in which a three piece preformed wooden buck embodying the invention is installed.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary perspective view of the corner connection between the head piece and jamb showing details of construction.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 in FIG. 1 showing details of the assembly, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the metal clip used to secure the trim strip to the jamb members or head piece member removed from the assembly.

Referring in detail to the drawing, denotes a knock- 7 down preformed three-piece wooden door buck constructed to embody the invention, shown in FIG. 1 assembled and installed in a doorway, comprising a head piece 11 for extending horizontally across the top of the doorway and connected at opposite ends to a pair of vertical jambs 14.

Head piece 11 and jambs 14 are each preformed as channel-shaped elements comprising head piece member 12 and jamb members each having a pair of trim strips 13 and 16 secured to opposite edges 12a and 15a respectively, thereof in overlying butt joints.

A feature of the invention is the facility with which jambs 14 may be plumbed and secured to the vertical framing studs S while the door is in closed position servrelative movement in the plane of the strips 16, that is,-

against relative movement at right angles to the plane of jamb member 15, utilizing metal clips 17 positioned at spaced intervals along the length of jambs 14.

Each clip 17 is seen in FIG. 4 to comprise a flat body 17a having opposite longitudinal edges bent at right angles in opposite directions, in Z fashion, to provide a relatively narrow flange 17b and a wider flange which is cut out to form a series of spaced apart pointed prongs 170. An aligning tab 17d is stamped out of a midportion of body 17a and bent at right angles thereto, paralleling prongs 170 at a predetermined spaced distance therefrom.

lambs 14 may be preformed in various sizes to fit standard door openings and wall thicknesses and are seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 to have clips 17 mounted on edges 15a by prongs 17c pressed or hammered into the wood of jamb member 15 with tabs 17d lying flat against the interior surface thereof. This positions flanges 17b to extend outwardly in offset relation to edges 15a to seat in registering grooves16b formed in the rear surface of trim strips 16 adjacent free edge borders 16a. Relatively light weight nails 18, inserted through the relatively thinner edges of trim strips 16 overlying edges 15a and into jamb member 15, serve to hold trim strips 16 in position against edges 15a so that flanges 17b are retained in grooves 16b. The exterior sides of jamb members 15 each has a door stop strip 15b suitably attached in any well understood manner.

Head piece 11 may be preformed with head piece member 12 and trim strips 13 corresponding in width and appearance to jamb members 15 and trim strips 16, head piece member 12 mounting a door stop strip 12b and trim strips 13 having thickened free edge borders 13a and adjacent grooves 13b for engaging clips 17. The opposite ends of head piece 11 are mitered, as at head piece member ends and trim strips ends 13c, to fit the correspondingly mitered upper ends of jambs 14, as at jamb member ends and trim strip ends 160. The lower or bottom ends of jambs 14, are squared off, that is, have edges extending at right angles with respect to the longitudinal axis of the jambs for standing flat on the floor.

The mitered joints between the opposite ends of head piece 11 and the upper ends of jambs 14 are secured by angle brackets 19 which are interiorly located and connect the ends of head piece member 12 to upper ends of jamb members 15. In knock-down shipping condition, an angle bracket 19 may be pre-attached to each end of head piece member 12 by suitable means, such as, wood screws 20 inserted from the interior side thereof, each angle bracket 19 being positioned to have a downwardly extending portion 19a for abutting the interior side of jamb member 15. A pair of spaced openings 19b are provided in bracket portion 19a which register in the assembled door buck with a pair of holes 15d pre-drilled in jamb member 15, openings 1% receiving self tapping screws 21 inserted from the exterior through holes 15d.

In order to reduce to a minimum on-the-job labor required for installing door buck 10, one of the jambs 14 may be formed with spaced recesses 14a arranged on one side of door stop strip 151; for mounting the jamb plate of a door hinge therein and the other of the jambs 14 may be suitably cut-out to receive a strike plate (not shown) in the well understood manner.

The practical utility of the invention will now be apparent. A doorway is framed in a wall W with vertical 3 studs S and lintel (not shown) in the well understood manner. Wall W may then be finished on both sides with plaster or plasterboard P or other sheet surfacing material, such as real or simulated wood paneling.

Door buck-10, delivered to the job in knockdown condition constructed as hereinbefore described and sized to fit the dimensions of the doorway and finished wall thickness, is simultaneously installed and assembled by first holding head piece 11 in position up against the lintel. By disposing each jamb 14 at an angle to the vertical, the upper mitered end thereof is brought into aligned contact with one of the mitered ends of head piece 11 so that the downwardly extending portion 19a of angle bracket 19 extends along the interior side of jamb member 15. Iambs 14 are then rotated to the vertical position and self tapping screws 21 inserted into holes 15d and threaded into openings 19!) to secure the mitered corner joints. Head piece 11 and jambs 14 may then be plumbed and fastened in position by driving nails 22 or other suitable fastening means through trim strip thickened free edge borders 13a and 16a into the lintel and studs S,-respectively. If desired, door D may be hung prior to fastening the trim strips 16, permitting the jambs 14 to be plumbed to the door and then nailed in position.

Although the improved door buck is particularly adaptable to the'mitered corner joint ,as herein disclosed and head piece 11 is shown'to conform structurally to jambs 14, that is, to utilize metal clips 17 in the attachment of trim strips 13 to head piece member 12, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention contemplates the use of other than mitered corners and a head piece construction which may omit clips 17.

The improved preformed wooden knock-down door buck construction herein disclosed is seen to achieve the several objects of the invention and to be well adapted to meet conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made in the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the disclosed construction, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A three-piece preformed wooden door buck of the character described comprising a head piece having opposite ends, a pair of channel shaped jambs each having an upper end engaging one of the head piece ends in a corner joint, each jamb including an elongated jamb member having opposite longitudinal edges and a pair of trim strips lying flat against said longitudinal edges to effect said channel shape, each of said trim strips having a free longitudinal edge border overlying opposite sides of a doorway vertical edge and receiving therethrough spaced fastening means etxending into a stud of the doorway, each trim strip having spaced longitudinally aligned grooves adjacent said edge border on the interior facing side thereof, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced reinforcing elements attached to opposite edges of said jamb member and being formed with tongue means engaging one of said grooves, said reinforcing means and grooves serving to secure the trim strip to the jamb member against relative movement in the plane of the trim strip.

2. A three-piece preformed wooden door buck of the character described comprising a head piece having opposite ends, a pair of channel shaped jambs each having an upper end for engaging one of the head piece ends in a corner joint, each jamb including an elongated jamb member having opposite longitudinal edges and a pair of trim strips lying flat against said longitudinal edges to effect said channel shape, each of said head piece opposite ends carrying corner securing means for abutting the interior surface of said jamb member, a plurality of spaced holes formed in the upper ends of each of said jamb members for receiving fastening means therethrough from the exterior surface thereof for engaging said corner securing means, each of said trim strips having a free.

longitudinal edge border for overlying opposite sides of a doorway vertical edge and to receive therethrough spaced fastening means extending into a stud of the doorway, each trim strip having spaced longitudinally aligned grooves adjacent said edge border on the interior facing side thereof, and spaced reinforcing elements attached to the opposite longitudinal edges of said jamb member and being formed with tongue means engaging one of said grooves.

3. A preformed wooden jamb construction having an upper end for engaging a head piece in a corner joint and an opposite end squared off for standing flat on the floor, said jamb comprising an elongated jamb member having opposite longitudinal edges and a pair of trim strips lying flat against said longitudinal edges to effect a channel shape, each of said trim strips having a free longitudinal edge border for overlying opposite sides of a doorway vertical edge and to receive therethrough spaced fastening means extending into a stud of the doorway, each trim strip having spaced longitudinally aligned grooves adjacent said edge border on the interior facing side thereof, a plurality of metal clipseach having a flat body lying flat against the interior surface of said trim strips and having a row of prongs embedded in the opposite longitudinal edges of said jamb member and a tongue engaging one of said longitudinally aligned grooves, said clips and grooves serving to secure each trim strip to the jamb member against relative movement in the plane of the trim strip, and means for retaining each trim strip in position against the jamb member longitudinal edge and in said tongue and groove engagement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,599,985 9/1926 Carlson 52-213 1,621,213 3/1927 Olson 52-213 1,926,673 9/1933 Gregg 52211 2,303,739 12/1942 Hasenburger et al. 52-2l1 2,400,266 5/1946 Soifer 18920.92 2,890,500 6/1959 Griflin 49504 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner. 

1. A THREE-PIECE PREFORMED WOODEN DOOR BUCK OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A HEAD PIECE HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS, A PAIR OF CHANNEL SHAPED JAMBS EACH HAVING AN UPPER END ENGAGING ONE OF THE HEAD PIECE ENDS IN A CORNER JOINT, EACH JAMB INCLUDING AN ELONGATED JAMB MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND A PAIR OF TRIM STRIPS LYING FLAT AGAINST SAID LONGITUDINAL EDGES TO EFFECT SAID CHANNEL SHAPE, EACH OF SAID TRIM STRIPS HAVING A FREE LONGITUDINAL EDGE BORDER OVERLYING OPPOSITE SIDES OF A DOORWAY VERTICAL EDGE RECEIVING THERETHROUGH SPACED FASTENING MEANS EXTENDING INTO A STUD OF THE DOORWAY, EACH TRIM STRIP HAVING SPACED LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED GROOVES ADJACENT SAID EDGE BORDER ON THE INTERIOR FACING SIDE THEREOF, AND A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED REINFORCING ELEMENTS ATTACHED TO OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID JAMB MEMBER AND BEING FORMED WITH TONGUE MEANS ENGAGING ONE OF SAID GROOVES, SAID REINFORCING MEANS AND GROOVES SERVING TO SECURE THE TRIM STRIP TO THE JAMB MEMBER AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT IN THE PLANE OF THE TRIM STRIP. 